Essay Writing
ICSE Class 7 · English · Chapter 9
What this chapter covers
- What an essay is
- Process writing: plan, draft, revise, edit
- Linkers for a smooth flow
- Narrative essays
- Descriptive essays
- Writing short stories
- Writing dialogues
- Common mistakes and a checklist
Key points
- An essay is continuous writing on one topic, arranged in paragraphs; in Class 7 it is usually three or more paragraphs of about 200–250 words.
- Every essay has an introduction, a body and a conclusion; each paragraph develops one idea, usually stated in a topic sentence.
- Process writing has four stages: plan, draft, revise and edit.
- Linkers show time (then, meanwhile, finally), addition (moreover), contrast (however) and result (therefore, as a result).
- When "however" or "therefore" joins two complete sentences, use a semicolon before it and a comma after it.
- A narrative essay tells what happened, in time order, usually in the first person and the past tense, with actions, thoughts and feelings.
- A descriptive essay shows what a person, place or scene is like, using sensory language and one clear order, such as far to near, outside to inside, or appearance to character.
- A short story has characters, a setting, a plot, a conflict, a turning point and a resolution; show feelings through actions and words.
- A dialogue is written in script form, with short, natural speeches that move the conversation to a conclusion.
- Check every piece for focus, paragraphs, linkers, precise words, correct tenses and length before you hand it in.
Questions answered
What are the three parts of every essay, and what does each part do?
The introduction catches the reader's interest and states the topic; the body develops the topic, one idea per paragraph; the conclusion brings the essay to a satisfying close.
What is a topic sentence?
A topic sentence is the sentence, usually first in a paragraph, that states what the whole paragraph is about.
Name the four stages of process writing in the correct order.
Plan, draft, revise, edit.
How is revising different from editing?
Revising improves the content and organisation, such as adding details or moving paragraphs; editing corrects spelling, grammar, punctuation and length.
Punctuate correctly: "The bus was late however we reached on time."
"The bus was late; however, we reached on time."
Choose a suitable linker: "Meena had a fever. ___ she could not attend the picnic."
"Therefore," (or "As a result,") because the second idea is a result of the first.
Is "A Walk Through a Vegetable Market" more likely to be a narrative or a descriptive essay? Give a reason.
Descriptive, because the title asks what the market is like, its sights, sounds and smells, rather than what happened.
Rewrite this sentence to make it more descriptive: "The tree was big."
One possible answer: "The old banyan spread its twisted branches over the whole courtyard, and its hanging roots swayed like curtains in the breeze."